Finding Her
by Carter Lee Grace
Summary: The Kanes have been given another mission, to find the last of the five: Nephthys. But to Carter, this is bigger than just finding a goddess.
1. Chapter 1

**Why hello! Besides needing more Zarter fanfics out there, we just need more fanfics in GENERAL for the Kane Chronicles! Why should PJO get all the love? (That was a rhetorical question. Do not answer it.)**

**So in this, I'm going to focus more on Carter and Zia's relationship, as opposed to the whole "action" stuff, because this is for Animal Charmer 11's contest. (And because I suck at writing action...) So if there's an unrealistic lack of fighting, I'm already aware.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Carter, Sadie, Zia, and other things you may recognize from the Kane Chronicles. In fact, I stole my pen name from Carter Kane, so...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: An Abnormally Lucky Day<strong>

Personally, I don't think being chased by five angry magicians who want to kill you is the best way to start the day. But that's just my opinion.

"Carter! Look out!" Sadie's voice rings out from my left, and I only narrowly miss the avalanche of rocks tumbling down the cliff above me. Rounding a corner, the boulders meant to kill us actually helped, obscuring us temporarily from the view of our pursuers. Unfortunately, it can't possibly hold them for too long, so we sprint, our legs carrying our bodies as fast as we can.

"So," I manage to say, while still trying not to trip over a rock or something equally embarrassing, "Any idea where we're headed?" Quickly glancing back, it seems that the pile of stones really didn't do much, because the magicians are practically past them already.

"_Ha-di!_" screams Sadie, her ivory wand pointed over her shoulder. As the huge _boom_ of the explosion echoes throughout the canyon, she grabs my arm and pulls me into a deep indent in the wall. For us, that's a miraculous stroke of luck. Who'd have thought things would be that convenient?

The shadows cast down from the towering cliffs disguise us in the darkness, and my sister and I are pressed against the jagged rocks. Neither of us moves a centimeter, standing frozen and breathing shallowly, trying not to make a sound. The voices of the people chasing after us pass by our little alcove, yelling to the others, confused as to where we could've possibly gone. _Please, don't find us._

After the voices die down and disappear, Sadie and I instinctively remain in our positions for who knows how much longer, making sure it's safe to come out. It's probably been enough time by now, so I speak up, asking what I'd been wondering for a while. "Um…_ha-di?_ Where'd you get that idea?"

In a hushed yet clearly annoyed tone, my sister retaliates, "It was the first spell I could think of! At least I did something! And it _worked_. For once in our lives, we got a relatively easy escape. We should appreciate it."

"Well," I reply, "We're hiding in the wall of the Grand Canyon, and we have no clue where we're supposed to be going. The magicians could've placed traps all around here, and by leaving, we'll set them off."

Why are we in Arizona _again,_ you might ask? Yes, we're dealing with the whole crisis of Apophis rising, as well as finding other descendants of the pharaohs. But there's another problem that we still have to address, which our dad pointed out to us the last time we talked. See, Osiris is living (sort of) inside our dad, we can control Set with his secret name, and Horus and Isis can be contacted through our amulets. That leaves one of the five still missing: Nephthys.

According to Dad, finding Nephthys is crucial to our mission, for some reason or another. Neither Sadie nor I really understood the importance, but when your dad –who also happens to be hosting a god– asks you to do something, you do it. He sent us to Arizona, to where he was certain the goddess would be found: the Colorado River. She's a river goddess, so I guess it makes sense…but that explains our escapade into the Grand Canyon. Naturally, the House of Life still thinks we're crazy, so a bunch of magicians found us and chased us into this hole.

"Okay, so we stay here a while and plan. Where to?" Sadie questions. Why does she assume I'll have the answers?

"Um…turn left? Hopefully find a huge sign saying 'goddess hidden here'?" My attempt at humor is short-lived under our current circumstances. The hopelessness of our situation suddenly hits full-on, and honestly, I don't think either of us really had a clue from the start. _Go to the Grand Canyon_. Yeah, Dad, let us wander around this humongous place and somehow find a hidden body hosting a goddess. That's really going to work.

"I wish Bast was with us," whispered Sadie, "Why did she have to walk away seconds before the magicians attacked?"

"They were probably waiting for her to leave. Don't worry, she'll find us soon." Our conversations rarely have this tone to them, but considering we're lost in this massive canyon, there are exceptions. Plus, there's an unsaid promise between us that we never speak of these moments. Ever.

Slumping on the surface behind me, silence overwhelms us again. I don't know what Sadie's thinking about, but my thoughts are concentrated on what the heck we're supposed to do now. Disappointing my dad (and jeopardizing our entire plan to revive the old ways) would be horrible…but to tell you the truth, I'm actually not sure if I _want_ to complete this task, because it means finding _her_.

Of course, we'd find Nephthys, but I'm talking about her host: Zia Rashid, the girl I really, really like. (But don't tell Sadie; she'd never let me forget it.) Her pretty amber eyes, lined in kohl, resting on her coppery-colored skin…the image is practically burned in my mind. Really, I don't _like_ admitting that I have like…a crazy, head-over-heels kind of crush, but I _guess_ it's true.

You know, I actually thought she might have liked me back, or she was just about to get there…and then she disintegrates in front of my eyes. It's not the most cheerful experience when you learn the girl you thought you knew turns out to be made out of clay, and the person that _shabti_ represented is actually hidden somewhere else in the world. And the two times I saw the real Zia were not happy ones. The first, she was stalking and working against my dad. The other, she was planning on killing me.

The _shabti_ Zia said the real one would like a date at the mall…_not _that that was what I implied before! Honestly! I did _not_ mean it that way! It just…came out that way…?

But after all "Zia" and I went through…does it even matter? I mean, Zia is amazingly pretty, but I'm not shallow like that. Her determined, focused personality and straightforwardness added to everything…is she actually like that? Besides, will she remember me, and how I was? Did I ever get to know her? Did she ever get to know me?

_Argh_. Clutching my forehead in frustration, the questions pounding at my skull are really starting to hurt. Why couldn't I forget about Zia for a little while? Is that too much to ask for? Exasperated, I move from my position, breaking the quiet, "I'm going to take a look outside."

My sister nods, barely visible in the dark. "Alright. I'll join you in a moment. I kind of have…a headache."

Walking to the edge of our hiding place, I stick my head out, the sky colored with the sun that had just risen. Being up this early isn't my "cup of tea," but Bast had other plans. Something about avoiding crowds and sneaking in before the attractions opened up…I don't think I was fully awake when she explained it. Stepping out fully from the darkness, hoping there really isn't some trap set up, the coast looks pretty clear. As I'm about to tell her it's safe to come out, Sadie says, "Carter. Come back in here. I found something."

What? How could she see anything in there? Returning to the darkness, the question is about to escape my mouth already when suddenly, a faint blue _light_ shines through the black. Walking closer, it's evidently coming from the back wall of the indent.

"Look," whispers Sadie, "Hieroglyphics." Upon closer inspection, I see that she's right; the light is emitted from a bunch of squiggly lines inscribed in the stone.

"What do they say?" Unfortunately, my sister got all the hieroglyphic reading genes. I, on the other hand, have more of a specialty for combat magic, so I have to ask her for translations. And despite whatever she may tell you, I am _not_ jealous. Honest.

Sadie steps closer to the glowing figures. "_Here lies the passageway to the hiding place,_" she begins, trailing off, before suddenly snapping alert with an idea (obviously). Underneath the hieroglyphics, she presses her finger against the wall and "draws" lines. If I haven't mentioned this before, she's a little bit crazy…and her ideas have been known to cause explosions and other catastrophes.

Under her breath, she murmurs, "_Wepe_." Um, what? As if sensing my confusion, she faces me and says one word: open.

Out of nowhere, the ground beneath us starts rumbling and shaking. Sadie reaches out and grabs on to me, keeping herself from falling. The wall where the hieroglyphics were drawn splits into two, and the sections collapse sideways, revealing a…cave, sort of. Rock still hangs over head, at least a foot above my head, but there's a path below the stone arch, wide enough for a person to walk through. Everything is visible because of a faint, unnatural blue glow radiating from an unknown source.

Of course, as soon as the shaking stops, Sadie is about to walk into the opened pathway, but I hold out a hand to stop her. "Wait. Doesn't this seem suspicious? The place we decide to hide happens to have a secret passage that you can open?"

I can tell she's rolling her eyes at me, even if my concerns are probably right. "Carter, I was drawn here by some force, and I just _know_ that it'll be fine." When she says she "knows" something, that's usually bad news. "Didn't Egyptians believe in fate and destiny and such?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, there was-"

"Shut up. You don't always have to spew out random knowledge about ancient times. A simple 'yes' works, honestly. But really, don't you have that feeling too?"

Strangely enough, at my sister's question, a part of my brain goes _everything will be fine, you idiot, and you're supposed to go there._ Last time I had two voices in my head arguing with each other, it turned out to be a god trapped inside of me. But…my gut tells me that I _have_ to go in there. It's not a matter of safety; it's a compulsion, something I need to do.

And so, I find my feet basically carrying the rest of my body into the strange blue light, walking down the passageway. Behind me, I'm pretty sure I hear Sadie say something that probably means "idiot" in British, before her footsteps join mine. The corridor continues in a straight line, and weirdly, the more we walk, the more _excited_ I feel. I think I just might know what's at the end of this tunnel…

The path abruptly ends at a circular room, and Sadie rams into me as I stop at the entrance. "You're so weird sometimes, Carter. What's up with you? And-" Now she knows why I stopped.

The ceiling is mile-high above us, and the light brown surface is covered with hundreds –if not thousands– of hieroglyphics and pictures, decorating everything with painted colors. They seem to be in lines, swirling around each other and up to the top, stunning and breathtaking. I've seen way too many Egyptian ruins and all that stuff in my life (as you should all know), and I have never seen something like this. Granted, this has to have been made recently, probably by magicians, considering the vibrancy of the paint and the amazing condition it's in.

Oh, and did I mention the glowing blue sarcophagus in the middle? Yeah, that's probably important to point out.

"Come on," I say to my sister, "Let's go check it out."

"Finally, he says something normal." Ignoring my sister's comment, we walk up to the coffin, the carvings on the sides intricate and elaborate. The feeling in my gut gets stronger, and it's really starting to scare me.

Sadie grabs the side, trying to lift the top up. "Help me. It's heavy…oh, but then again, you won't be much help, will you?" She just can't miss an opportunity to make fun of me, huh?

I grip the lid of the sarcophagus next to her, and with a firm shove, we manage to successfully raise it up all the way. Looking down, it contains a person, one with an extraordinarily familiar face, eyes closed with no expression.

The moment I've been waiting for. The moment I've been dreading.

As the girl's eyelids flutter open, I breathe out one word: _Zia_.

* * *

><p><strong>For all AVPM fans out there: yes, the title is very Hufflepuff-like. I apologize; I had no other ideas.<strong>

**I hope you liked it! CC always accepted, and flames are too, if you're really THAT unhappy with it. I'll be trying hard to get the next three chapters out to qualify for the contest, as this is a multi-chapter fanfic. Please tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, so I got too busy to finish this before the contest ended. Then the Throne of Fire came out, and I lost inspiration because they actually found Zia. But I didn't really like how that turned out, plus I wanted to end this story, so here's my convoluted version. It's really short, because I wanted to stick to the romance theme, but I suck at romance, so I tried my best.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Kane Chronicles.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Maybe This Just Might Work<strong>

"Wh-who…what…where am I?" Zia stutters, obviously confused at her surroundings and the two people standing over her. She sits up in the sarcophagus, a hand on her forehead as if she's shaking off a bad headache. I glance at Sadie, who gives me a _you-talk-first_ look in return, and suddenly my mind almost freezes up, unsure of what to say.

"Um, I'm Carter. This is my sister, Sadie. Do…do you remember who we are?" My sister rolls her eyes, and I fight the urge to glare back at her. What would she have said? _Hi, Zia, I'm Sadie. I knew the _shabti_-you from when Iskandar replaced you because you're hosting Nephthys, but now he's dead and Desjardins is Chief Lector, and we're reviving the way of the gods._ Yeah, I'm sure that'd go down well.

Zia blinks a few times, and silence fills the next few moments. Her amber eyes focus on Sadie, then on me, staring at us like she's trying to pick us apart. I know I don't want to speak again; for once, my sister keeps her mouth shut as well.

Suddenly, Zia squeezes her eyes shut, hands pressed on the sides of her head, before speaking in a panicked tone. "I-I'm hosting a _goddess_? This is against all rules! It can't be!" She pounded against her skull, obviously attempting to force Nephthys out of her.

"Uh, Zia," Sadie starts, "Things are very different from when Iskandar put you in here. There's a lot that we have to tell you, and I don't really know-" She is cut off as Zia swings her legs over the side of the sarcophagus, nearly hitting us both, and jumps out, staggering slightly. Instinctively, I reach out to help steady her, but she doesn't need it (and fortunately doesn't notice, because I probably looked like an idiot). She scans the perimeter of the room.

"Is that the way out?" she asks, pointing to the passageway we came through. Sadie nods, about to speak again, when Zia sprints past us and through the stone. I race after her, sure that my sister is right behind me, both of us barely managing not to trip. As we step into the sunlight, Zia is kneeling next to the Colorado River, muttering under her breath. A faint blue light suddenly encompasses her body, and as it fades, a form of a woman shimmers above the surface of the water.

Her long black hair flows like water behind her, and she says, "I apologize for using your body as a host, Zia Rashid. It was a desperate measure, but thank you." Nephthys bows her head slightly in Zia's direction, who has crumpled further on the dirt, and the goddess vanishes into the river once more.

Tentatively, Sadie and I slowly step closer to the black-haired girl. I elbow Sadie, indicating that it's her turn to talk first. "Um, Zia…are you okay?"

The girl in question looks up at us, and answers, "Yes, I'm fine." As if to prove it, she stands up and brushes herself off. "It's just…a lot to take in, that's all."

"Excuse me, but…what, exactly?" I ask for both my sister and me.

Looking down and crossing her arms, Zia explains, "When I was in the sarcophagus, I guess, I had…dreams. You two were there, and Iskandar…he…h-he was dead. I was helping you…Set…" She trails off, eyes glazed over as she concentrates on her memories.

"All that you saw…it's true," I manage to get out. "When Iskandar found out you were hosting Nephthys – unintentionally, of course," I add as she glares at me, "he hid you away here, and replaced you with a _shabti _for the time being. We were sent to awaken you." Zia sighs, as if she predicted this.

"So my dreams were the visions the _shabti_ sent me," she states, not actually asking for our confirmation, but already knowing it's the truth. She's smart; she made the connection almost instantaneously.

Out of nowhere, Bast leaps down in front of Sadie and me, landing lightly on her feet as all cats would. After the initial shock, the two of us smile warmly back at the goddess; Zia, on the other hand, doesn't take it as well.

"Wh-what…is that Bast? The goddess? _Why is she here?_" Suddenly, Zia's staff is in her hand, most likely summoned out of the Duat, and she probably would've tried to burn the cat goddess to a crisp if Sadie hadn't spoken up.

"Zia, it's alright. Bast is our guardian. We…we have a lot to explain to you." Sadie's words only appease Zia slightly; the fire elementalist returns her staff to the Duat, but her eyes don't lose the angry (and slightly terrified) glint they acquired at the sight of the goddess. It probably doesn't help that Sadie and _shabti_-Zia didn't really get along…

"We could take you back to our headquarters in Brooklyn, the Twenty-First Nome. It would be best to not be in the open, to be safe from any attackers. Unless…" My next words catch in my throat before I manage to spit them out. "Unless you don't trust us, which would…be logical." The harsh look on Zia's face softens, and I hope I didn't offend anyone with what I said, because Sadie kicks me in the ankle.

In a quiet voice, Zia responds, "Um, I suppose…I suppose I should go with you. I don't know how my return to the First Nome would end up, anyways. And I…don't not trust you." Her hesitance to avoid those last few words stings, but what did I expect? She knows us from memories of an animated block of clay; honestly, it's astonishing that she's willing to come with two almost-strangers and a goddess, although she's been taught to battle immortal beings.

"Alright then," Sadie says, "We best get out of here before those magicians find us again." Zia looks up in astonishment and confusion, and I glare at Sadie for her slip of the tongue. We have _way_ too much stuff to cover.

* * *

><p>A month passes by with Zia at the Brooklyn headquarters. After all of the explanations about the bringing back the paths of the gods and whatnot (with only a few outbursts and attacks, and no permanent damage), she seemed to accept everything quite calmly, and is completely willing to assist us in defeating Apophis.<p>

After a long day of training, I collapse on my bed, absolutely drained. I'm terrified; how are we supposed to beat the embodiment of chaos? What chance do we have? What can we possibly do to tip the scales in our favor?

A sharp knock on my door shakes me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I say, and Zia enters, her pretty eyes lined with kohl as usual. I hastily stand up, straightening out my shirt, as nervous as I probably looked.

"Hi, Carter," she says, smiling a little. I return the smile and wave back slightly, cursing internally at how awkward I'm being. Recently, I've spent a lot of time with Zia, and I've come to the realization that _shabti_-Zia wasn't all that different from real Zia.

"So, what brings you to my room?" I ask, fidgeting a little at the discomfort hanging heavily in the air. Zia starts to take a step back, as if coming here might've been a mistake. _Oh great_, I tell myself, _I've really done it now_.

She takes a breath, and I'm certain she's going to turn around and walk away, but she stays. "Oh…I just wanted to…thank you. For everything you've done for me, that is."

Oh. "You're welcome, I guess. It's not a big deal. We've got a lot of room here, and you've been a big help with all the initiates. Considering you have way more experience. It's a lot." I shut my mouth before it can ramble on any longer. Yes, I'd been around Zia a lot lately, but it was always during training, or at meals, or with Sadie; it's never been just the two of us and now that it is, I'm about to sweat through my shirt. Attractive, I know.

"Well," Zia begins, bringing me back to reality, "The thing is, I was considering returning back to Egypt…" Her words hurt a lot more than I expect them to. I don't want her to leave; I finally got her back, finally got the real-her to like me (_as a friend_ – jeesh, what are all of you guys thinking?), and she can't just _leave_.

"You can't go," I blurt out, not thinking (which was dumb). Zia looks up at me, clearly confused, and I insult myself in my mind. _Stupid, why would you say that?_ "Because…you're associated with us now…" All that gets me is a raised eyebrow. "And the House of Life doesn't like us much, what with the whole way of the gods and stuff…" Finally, I may have said something sort of right, because she looks down at her feet. (Okay, so maybe making her sad shouldn't be considered "sort of right.")

"Yeah, I know," is her whispered answer, and I'm suddenly assaulted with guilt. We – well, I, sort of – took her away from her home, and alienated her from everyone she knew there. And I was totally aware that it was going to happen, and I let it happen anyways.

"Look, I'm really sorry about everything…I hope I didn't…" I hope I didn't what? Mess up so badly that she'll blame me for all of this and hate me?

"No, it's fine." Zia looks up, her usual fierce expression on her face once again. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to stay here. I knew that I'd be shunned."

"Not forever," I reply, not really thinking about what I'm saying, which is a bad idea. "Eventually, we'll make peace with the House of Life again. Well, either that, or Apophis swallows the sun and mankind is wiped out." _Way to be optimistic, Carter._ I think about whacking myself in the head for my stupidity, but figure that I'd just end up looking like even more of an idiot.

"Somebody's positive," Zia says, a teasing tone in her voice, "But yeah, I know what you mean. We _will_ be part of the House of Life again. I know you well enough that we won't be let down. I trust you." The last three words are kind of rushed together, so that it takes me a moment to decipher what she said. By then, she has waved goodbye and is already out the door, walking to her own room.

So maybe it's not a full-out romantic confession, but it's definitely a good start.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I don't do romance. I skimmed over all the action-y, Egyptian related stuff. It's really short. But I just wanted an ending.<strong>

**(Oh, and I used "as if" four times. Intentionally. I sound just like Rick Riordan now :P)**

**Personally, I really didn't like Throne of Fire much. Sadie was too annoying. Carter was too obsessed with Zia. So I made Sadie my way and Carter more self-conscious (to a serious extreme). At the end of my story, I think Zia is too OOC, but I wanted a small bit of romance. (I was going to have her spastically hug Carter, but she was too un-Zia already.) I'd greatly appreciate all thoughts on characterization, plot, awkwardness level, and basically everything.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked it!**


End file.
